Review of Nights of Cabiria (1957) by Blake P — 17 Aug 2011

For any Fellini fans, or even foreign cinema fans, "Le Notti di Cabiria" is a must see-- period. Cabiria (Masina) is a feisty but sweet prostitute living with her friends in the bad parts of Italy.

She has many misfortunes and tragic incidents throughout her life, but never stops trying to get a better one. Fellini was not having much success with his films, though highly regarded today, they were mostly flopping.

"La Notti de Cabiria" was an exception. It is widely considered his breakthrough movie, and it's so easy to see why. This movie is so appealing, dramatic, funny, romantic, and adventurous, and even without a plot (like most of Fellini's films) this movie still is perfect.

Fellini makes the most of Italy, and gives us wonderful glimpses at the countryside, as well as some city shots, which I love. It's Masina however, that makes this movie so much fun. She was actually the director's wife, and he had already had her have parts in films like "The White Sheik", "Il Bidone", and "La Strada", but they were all supporting roles, except for "La Strada" where Anthony Quinn seems to overshadow her.

This is definitely HER film. Masina has often been called the female Chaplin because of her wide use of body language and facial expressions, and I couldn't agree more with the opinion. She is absolutely magnetic as Cabiria, and you really do care about what happens to her.

She's excellent in every comedic scene, and does justice to the dramatic ones, proving how much of a versatile actress she was. You can't see her in a movie and not like her. "Le Notti di Cabiria" is a wonderful film.

Very highly recommended.